Explorer
Wellness on the Water
From ancient Roman baths in mineral-rich hot spring water to the 19th-century French seawater soaks for
thalassotherapy, humans have historically treated water as a healing element. Not all of these therapies require submerging into water. Some modern wellness practices take place at the water’s surface. The two unique healing modalities of flotation therapy and watsu explore wellness on the water.
FLOTATION THERAPY
Flotation therapy takes place in special tanks filled with 10 inches of high-salinity water. Infused with 850-1,000 pounds of Epsom salt, the water within a float tank “is more buoyant than the Dead Sea,” explains Julie Meer of Cloud9 Float & Spa in Naples. All bodies effortlessly float on the high-salinity surface, which gently and naturally realigns the body and releases tension.
The physical benefits of floating are many. Flotation sessions can increase circulation, decrease inflammation and lessen joint pain, according to Guillermo Fernandez, who founded the Float & Flourish Center in Bonita Springs. These benefits are attributed to the magnesium sulfate, more commonly known as Epsom salt, which the body absorbs during flotation. Fernandez enumerates additional perks, such as heightened energy levels and improved sleep, before declaring one hour of flotation as restful as four hours of sleep.
Float sessions in sensory-deprivation tanks also nurture mental well-being. Although many tanks include light and music options, some practitioners opt to enclose themselves in the reservoir without light, sound and distractions. Without external stimuli, the mind takes center stage and “the brain allows more creative thoughts to flow,” says Meer. During this deep state of relaxation and mental clarity, emotional anxiety dissipates. These positive psychological and physiological reactions beckon athletes and meditation practitioners alike to float regularly.
Understandably, floating solo in a dark, coffin-sized space to explore the recesses of the mind may sound daunting. A brief introduction to the facility, including tank controls and flotation support devices for the neck, inspires confidence. After a quick shower, slipping into the warm, body-temperature water, silken with Epsom salt, is quite pleasant. Surrendering to gravity may prove challenging, but deep breaths encourage the body to relax.
Worries of claustrophobia quickly fall away. With the lid closed and lights out, after a few minutes, you ironically feel like you’re floating in an infinite space. As Fernandez explains, you lose your sense of orientation after 30-45 minutes of floating. Even though you float face up, you may feel like you are hovering above the earth’s atmosphere, peering downward. The feeling of levity and weightlessness spreads throughout the entire body. Sessions finish when the UV- and ozone-purification systems kick in, but Fernandez suggests recuperating at the oxygen bar before heading back to everyday life.
WATSU
Watsu is a portmanteau, or combined word, of water and shiatsu. Watsu practitioners help patients float and gently manipulate their bodies on the surface of a shallow pool. Typical hour-long sessions combine shiatsu massage and stretching to relax the body on water heated to 94-98 degrees Fahrenheit. Watsu is a unique treatment because “the stretching that the practitioner facilitates is not possible in land-based modalities,” claims Monica Cardwell, a WABA (Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association)-certified watsu practitioner in the Naples and Bonita Springs area.
Like flotation therapy, watsu improves both physical and mental health. “Clinical studies … have shown watsu to be an effective treatment for those who suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, MS and many other neurological maladies,” cites Cardwell. During stressrelieving watsu sessions, the breath and heart rates naturally slow as the body yields to the practitioner and the water. The guided experience is intensely calming and, Cardwell explains, “Watsu brings profound insights and a connection to the
Float sessions in sensory-deprivation tanks also nurture mental well-being. Although many tanks include light and music options, some practitioners opt to enclose themselves in the reservoir without light, sound and distractions.
body [like] no other modality.”
Throughout a watsu session, the practitioner supports the patient’s body so that the patient can simply relax. The face never dips below the surface of the water, which means that even people who do not swim can enjoy the gentle experience. Patients, however, must trust the practitioner to hold their body correctly and to deliver beneficial stretching and massage.
Cardwell explains that her role is to “facilitate the [healing] experience with educated and experienced hands and [to apply her knowledge of] body mechanics.” Cardwell’s efforts are rewarded by the trust of her patients, which allows her to help them experience the “buoyancy and freedom that the water affords.” While some clients receive only occasional treatments, others relish the liberating experience weekly.
Whether floating in an isolation tank or in the arms of a watsu practitioner, healing can take place on the horizon, where water meets the air.